He Wanted Out
by Lily1986
Summary: Six months after everything happened, Brooke and Mike are making a life in Tampa while Adam went to life his in Miami. One phone call in the middle of the night will change everything.


Brooke groaned when the shrill of the phone woke her. She turned her head to the left and noticed Mike was still fast asleep with his head buried under the pillow. The muscles on his back relaxed as he snored lightly next to her. She smiled softly before turning back toward the now shrieking phone on her bedside table.

"'Ello?" she mumbled.

"Miss Riley?" an unfamiliar voice on the line caused her to sit up in bed. "I'm calling from Miami Memorial Hospital. We have your brother…"

She hadn't actually heard the rest of the conversation. She remembers waking Mike up frantically and telling him they had to get to Miami as soon as possible. When he asked her what was wrong, all she could say was, "its Adam."

Now, here she was, in the hospital corridor waiting for news about her brother. Apparently, he'd been found in his apartment completely passed out. He was not responding and an ambulance had been called. They'd pumped his stomach upon arriving in the hospital but he still had not woken up. Doctors didn't actually know what he had taken.

She leaned forward and sighed remembering how she found him the exact same way six months ago in Mike's apartment. She knew he was spiraling out of control and she did nothing. She let him go to Miami, allowed him to live his life so she could finally live hers, when she really should have tied him to her couch and never let him out of her sight.

Her baby brother was lying in a hospital bed in a different city then the one they lived in. She'd gotten the call earlier that morning. The sun hadn't even fully risen when the phone rang. Three and a half hours later, she and Mike had walked into the hospital and found Dallas standing in the hallway.

She was grateful that Mike was with her; otherwise she'd have attacked the flamboyant man with the tight jeans and long sleeve shirt.

She felt a tap on the shoulder and looked up to find Mike hovering over her with two cups of coffee in his hands.

"How you holding up?"

She shook her head. She wasn't holding up. She was breaking apart.

He wrapped his arm around her and she sighed into his neck.

"He almost died." She mumbled against his skin.

"But he didn't." Mike rubbed her arm soothingly.

"It's my fault." She started.

"Adam is twenty years old, Brooke…" Mike started. "He makes his own decisions now. This wasn't your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." He straightened up when she pulled away. "I left him behind. I knew where I was leaving him and that he was about to self-destruct and all I cared about was getting myself out."

"Adam wasn't your responsibility…" she shook her head.

"He became my responsibility when I promised you that I'd take care of him."

She leaned into him and kissed him softly. "Thank you…" she whispered. "For being here. You're the only thing keeping me upright…"

He smiled and kissed her again. "Anytime."

"Miss Riley?"

They both turned toward the man in scrubs standing over them and stood up.

"How is he?"

"Your brother is doing fine." He said. "I'm Dr. Evans… your brother was very lucky. Another hour or two and the conversation we'd be having would have been different."

Brooke nodded in understanding. She knew how close it had come to that. They'd explained that to her already.

"Do you know what it is that he took?" Dr. Evans asked.

Brooke shook her head. "We live in Tampa. I haven't seen or spoken to Adam in six months."

Dr. Evans nodded. "He's awake now, if you want to see him."

Brooke smiled softly in appreciation. "Thank you…"

Dr. Evans smiled in return as he turned to lead them down the hall toward a small room.

"He has a private room?" she asked.

"His boss paid for the hospital bill." Dr. Evans nodded. "Asked that he'd be placed in a private room once he was out of the E.R."

She smiled again appreciatively before entering the hospital room bathed in the late morning sunlight. She stood numbly by the door when she saw how small he looked on the bed. He was looking out the window unaware that she and Mike had entered the room.

"Adam…" she called out softly to him.

He turned toward the door and smiled softly.

"Hey sis…" he said in a soft voice.

She smiled hearing him call her what he used to when he was younger.

"Hey brother bear…" she replied and walked further into the room. She took a seat next to the bed and took his limp hand in hers. She noticed the I.V injecting fluids into his system and loosened her grip slightly. He didn't really need the added pressure.

Adam looked up toward the doorway and smiled. "Hey, Mike…"

"Hey Kid…" Mike smiled and walked in closing the door behind him. "You really scared us this time, dude."

"I'm sorry…" he said looking back at Brooke. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Adam, what happened?" she asked. "You can tell me…"

"I don't know…" he shook his head. "I remember going out last night with Nora… it was Valentine's Day… we took something new… How's Nora?"

Brooke looked up in alarm and turned toward Mike. She didn't know he had been with Nora. Mike shook his head slightly and she closed her eyes.

"Hey buddy…" Mike started as he leaned over Brooke toward Adam. "I'm sorry man… but Nora… she didn't make it…"

Adam's eyes widened. He shook his head and gasped before choking on tears. "It's my fault… it's all my fault…"

Brooke choked back a sob and held on to his hand a little tighter.

"Adam… you have to calm down…" she tried soothing him. "You'll rip out your I.V."

"I killed her… it was my fault… I should have been taking care of her… I-"

"Hey… Adam… listen to your sister… you need to relax, man…"

"No no no no no no…." He shook his head thrashing against the bed and lifted the palm of his hands to his eyes trying to stop the tears from flowing out. "It's my fault… my fault… I killed her…"

"Mike…" Brooke stood up… "Please do something…"

The door behind them opened and the same Dr. Evans walked in holding a syringe in his hand. "Adam, I'm going to give you something to calm down, okay?"

"It's all my fault… I did this… My… fault…" he dropped his hands to his side almost instantly and the tension in his body left as his eyes drooped closed.

"What did you give him?" Brooke asked.

"Just a mild sedative." Dr. Evans replied. "He'll sleep it off. You should let him rest."

"I'm going to stay right here…" she argued. "I don't want him to wake up alone."

Dr. Evans nodded. "I'll have the nurse bring you a spare cot."

* * *

"Brooke?"

She awoke with a startle and found her brother's alert eyes looking back at her.

"Hey… how'd you sleep?" she asked with a small smile.

"It wasn't a dream…"

She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "Thank you. For being here."

"Where else would I be?"

"You should be mad at me…" he said softly.

"Adam, you're my brother. No matter what. I couldn't stay mad at you if I tried."

He tried to smile but she realized that he couldn't. And to be honest, he really had nothing to smile about.

"I want out."

She looked up in alarm.

"Out?"

"Out." He nodded. "Like Mike."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay… as soon as you're released you're coming back to Tampa with us…"

"What about Dallas?" he asked.

"Let me handle Dallas." She said.

She tightened her jaw and promised herself that she would help him get his life on track. She would help him turn his life around. This was her brother. The only family she had left. She may not be able to tie him to her couch and keep an eye on him every minute of every day. But she could take care of him. She could protect him. And she would. Regardless of who tried to hurt him. They'd have to go through her first.

She felt a hand softly graze her shoulder and looked up to find Mike looking down on her with a small smile. He'd heard Adam. She let herself really smile for the first time in months.

Anyone that wanted to get to her brother would have to go through her and Mike first.


End file.
